The Tail of a Fox
by Jarlon
Summary: Ahri appears to have turned into a human being instead of being a fox that she normally had been. Now she must struggle in the human world following human cultures and traditions. She has to change herself and adapt if she wishes to survive. Luckily for her, she isn't all alone. Sona has decided to take her in and change her back. Will Ahri ever fit in among the human world?
1. A New Beginning

Ahri yawned and stretched as she sat up in her comfy nest. Every part of her body ached and she couldn't remember anything that happened yesterday. She also couldn't recall how she got into this strange den she was in or why there were blue strings attached to her body and what the mysterious objects next to her were. The only thing she could say for sure was the fact that a blond woman was staring at her with her bright aqua eyes.

"Hello. My name is Luxanne Crownguard. What is your name?" she asked.

Ahri was confused as to why the girl was asking a fox a human question and expected her to reply back, so she chose to just remain silent.

"My brother, Garen, found you lying on the ground passed out after the battle that took place in the southern woods of Ionia. Do you have any memory of what may have happened?" Lux said.

Once again Ahri remained silent. In truth, she really didn't know what happened. She saw plenty of battles over the years from a distance but didn't recall being amidst one. The only true recent memory she had were a few days ago when she was trying to catch a rabbit. The taste of it when she bit in, she could easily remember that.

"Perhaps you don't know how to speak?" Lux eyed her.

 _Obviously, I'm a fox you know_ Ahri thought to herself _._

"Still, it's strange for a human-like being such as your-self having nine tails…" Lux's trailed off, "how did you get them? At first I thought they were a prop, but I can't remove them. I'm so jealous though, I would love to walk around with nine tails."

 _Human-like?_ Ahri looked down at her body. Instead of seeing her usual soft glossy orange fur, she had this pale white… fur? Her paws were bigger as well. Normally her paws had sharp pointy claws but instead they were much wider and her claws were dull and smooth. On her head, smooth brown strands of strings dangled and instead of her bare chest, well honestly she herself didn't quite know what was there.

The animal couldn't believe this was even possible. She tried desperately to pull at this strange new fur and pull it off and even tried yanking her strands of strings but nothing came off. _Is this some kind of trick?_ If only she paid more attention to her mother's warnings and listen to the dangers of predators, then maybe she wouldn't be in such a predicament.

"It seems like you are confused as well," Lux said, "but no worries, the nurses here are spectacular, so they'll patch you up and return you to normal in no time… I think."

The princess made a quick hand motion to signal someone to enter, and Ahri watched as a woman in a white dress appeared with a wooden board.

"You ring?" she asked.

"Heyo nurse Akali. We got a fox-girl who can't speak and has no memory as to why she is here. Think you can help her?" Lux asked.

"Ah, the fox girl. I am having Shen and Kennen run analysis but as of this moment we have no way to help her. For now you'll have to try bringing back her memory by normal means," the nurse said, "however, her current physical state has stabilized itself so she is able to freely walk around now."

"Sweet. Okay, I have decided I am going to take the fox home with me then," Lux proclaimed.

Ahri sat in her bed and pretended to understand what was going on. Truthfully speaking though, she'll rather have this nurse person away from her. Her white outfit reminded her of a ghost, and after hearing several ghost stories from the Ionian humans, she was genuinely frightened of them.

The fox's ears perked up and she could hear booming footsteps echoing in the hallway. A man clad in a silver, metallic like object appeared through the door and made his way to the princess. Upon seeing the nurse, he waved her away and Akali merely shrugged before making her way out of the room.

"Milady, we should go now. The prince awaits us. We shouldn't make him wait any longer than he has too," the man said.

"Okay, I'm coming and I will be bringing the fox girl with me," Lux pointed at her.

The man was confused. "Why? You're under no obligation to help her. Just leave her here and let the nurse's take care of her. No need to help…," the man stopped for a moment to glance at her before whispering back to Lux, "well… _it_."

Lux looked offended at the remark. " _It?_ " she glared at the guard.

Ahri watched as the two argued back and forth. She could make out bits and pieces of the conversation such as leave and take, only the simple things that she heard once before from the Ionian people. Perhaps this was the fabled argument between lovers she always noticed. It was fairly common for her to see this happen during the mating process for the Ionian people.

Her ears perked up once again to the sounds of gentler footsteps, ones that were soft and quiet but graceful as well.

Moments later, a woman draped in an elegant navy blue dress entered the room. Her hair was of an aquatic color with yellow strands mixed in her hair. She topped it all off by having two long strands of blue hair to be put into two ponytails as well. At her side was a yellow metallic object Ahri couldn't make out. It held several strings attached to it however.

"Sona! Please tell this man to allow me to take the fox-girl with me, I refuse to just abandon her and leave her here," Lux pouted, "and I really want to learn how to get those cool nine-tails. Come on, you must admit, I'll look fabulous with them."

The guard looked up at the woman named Sona and immediately scowled. _Why is he so hateful towards her?_

Sona looked towards the fox and then she took out a white leaf and a black feather and pressed it against the leaf. A moment later the blue lady held it up for her to read.

"Please forgive this man. Demacian's aren't particularly known for their love of… _different_ creatures," it read.

Ahri could only understand human and man and nothing more. The rest were incomprehensible for her. However, she was more intrigued at how she was able to write on the leaf. She had seen crows before, but never once saw their black feathers do all this. Perhaps the leaf was magical? Magic seemed to be a suitable answer, or how else could this be done.

She watched as Sona turned towards Lux and once again wrote of the strange white leaf. A moment later she showed it to the blonde and she nodded in approval. The blond female got up from her seat with a sigh.

"It would have been quite wonderful and so much fun to have her with me, but this appears to be the better option in the end. Take care Sona, you as well fox-lady," Lux said as she followed the man out the door.

Sona turned back around and faced her again as she wrote a simple message that read: _Home._

Ahri may not have been able to comprehend much about what was said nor able to read very well, however, the term home is one she knew very well. The mere thought of home was soothing. She answered the blue lady with a slight nod to show that she understands and she smiled at her, her fox tails wagging in excitement.

Sona smiled back as she helped take off the blue string things attached to her and handed her some sort of strange furs. Ahri struggled to put the furs on so Sona in the end had to come and help her out. Afterwards, the blue lady grabbed her paw and escorted her out the door and out into the cool outside world. The fox smiled up at the bright moon and let the midnight breeze grace her cheeks before continuing onwards with the lady.

The fox tried to think back to how this all started, but once again her memory was fuzzy. A sudden realization snapped her out of her train of thought though. _What if this woman isn't taking her home but is actually leading her to her secret lair and is going to cook her up for dinner_ she thought. _Does a fox even taste good? Am I even editable? Maybe the woman wore a disguise and she is actually a creepy scaly monster with millions of sharp pointy teeth ready to devour her_...

The woman led Ahri up to a door that led to a box and the fox stood confused as she entered the place. _This isn't home, am I going to be eaten?_

She watched as the blue lady took her paw protectors off before escorting her once again. This time she led her into a different den that was inside the box. Only a nest and a giant obscure object were present. Sona led her to the nest and patted, signaling for her to sit. The blue lady pulled out the white leaf she loved to put a black feather upon and quickly marked something down.

"A for-now home," it read.

The fox felt a slight tinge of sadness dwell within her. When she read home, she thought the woman meant her actual home. However, instead of pouting, she merely nodded to show that she understood. At least the nest was warm and comfortable and she wasn't eaten alive yet. She quickly curled up on the bed and wrapped herself in her bushy tails, trying her best to go to sleep in this new place.

Ahri heard Sona head over to the mysterious object that was in the room and gently opened a lid. Moments later, a soft melody resonated across the room. The graceful lullaby lulled her into a peaceful and deep slumber.

* * *

Author's note: Thanks for reading everyone. I really do hope you enjoyed the story and found it interesting. If you think I could improve on something then by all means please leave a review and comment! Thanks again for reading and hoped for you enjoyed it!


	2. Festival Delights

The morning started out with Ahri waking up to be greeted by the blue lady. The woman led her to this wooden object to sit on and then handed her this yellow blob and a few crispy strips of dark-brown string. Sona gestured for her to put them into her mouth so she did so. The creations tasted strange to her. It didn't have the juicy taste of a rabbit or the sweet and sour taste of a berry. However, the food was good enough. It managed to satisfy her stomach quite well. Once Ahri was done gnawing on her food, the blue lady went and picked out one of her human made furs and dressed the fox. It was a cute little dress of red and white that reminded her of the dresses the people on Ionia wore. Sona then rushed her out the door and off they went.

Now Ahri found herself grazing through the grassy plains with the blue woman. There were many mini boxes stationed about the grassy area as well the fox noticed. Sona said that she thought it would be an excellent idea to attend this thing called a _festival._ The term wasn't new to the fox as she had seen quite a few festivals held at Ionia before. From her understanding, it seems to be a giant mating ground for hundreds of humans. She felt confident with her answer as she had already saw a male flirting with a female. _Did Sona take her here to mate?_

The blue lady grabbed her hand and they treaded through the mating grounds. The bright beaming sun glittered down and beamed upon her face, and a gentle breeze swept by, gracing her cheeks. _At least today was a nice day._ Ahri made sure to be extra careful by moving away from any males who got too close to her, making sure she didn't make any physical contact with them. Sona may like these mating grounds, but she sure wasn't ready for any of these males.

The blue woman took her into this box that she had found and the two entered together. Within a purple lady in a blue apron with dark, angelic wings was doing something to this object that created a large orange flame.

Sona tapped the counter to get the angelic being's attention. The woman spun around surprised.

"I thought I'll never get any customers, and out of all people, it's you Sona! It has truly been quite some time now; now hasn't it?" Come to enjoy the festival?" she said.

Sona nodded.

"Who's the fox? A friend of yours?" the purple lady questioned.

On a piece of white leaf, Sona wrote: "Garen found her passed out on the battlefield that took place in the Ionian forest. Also, may I please have two of your lovely blueberry muffins?" the note read.

The lady nodded. Ahri watched as the purple creature took out a metallic object and filled the holes with a creamy like substance. Once done, she shoved it into the object that could create a magical orange flame out of nowhere. The purple woman turned a knob and Ahri watched as a slight magic explosion ignited at the bottom. The fox found herself entranced by the rising of the thing called a blueberry muffin, curiously wondering how it was all even possible. Once the creation was finished, the purple lady took it out of the strange object and placed the muffin in front of them.

Ahri grabbed it immediately and bit down; ignoring the searing heat that erupted on her tongue. It tasted like a sweet succulent berry with a tinge of something sour that she adored to eat so much and it was also mixed with this strange soft breading of sorts. This wonderful creation was like a miniature heaven to the fox.

Once Sona finished devouring her muffin, she began writing something down before shoving it to the baker.

"Morgana, I have never seen a half-fox like this one before. She came from Ionia who homes the nine tail foxes as well. Do you think she were to have somehow transformed?" It read.

"It certainly isn't impossible. Normally however, the transformation spell would have turn her into a full fledge human though. Whoever had done it must've not completed the spell or perhaps they performed the sorcery wrong," Morgana replied.

"Is there any way we can reverse the effect?" Sona wrote.

Morgana paused for a moment and thought, "Perhaps there is a way, however I myself can't guarantee it. You see, magic in everyone takes all kinds of forms. Who we are shapes it and gives it its form and power. Our will gives it its drive. Depending on the spell used, only one with a stronger will can overwhelm the current effect and dispel it. I suggest you take a visit to Happy Hour at Graggie's. There are plenty of highly qualified mages from the highly famed institution of war that could provide you the assistance you seek."

Sona nodded. She placed a rectangular green leaf on the counter and grabbed the fox's hand as she got up and the two headed straight out of the box. They trudged through the grassy plains again, Ahri making sure to avoid potential people looking to mate. In truth however, as they traveled by, the fox wished they could stop for just a moment and look a little more. She was highly interested now in the wonderful aromas emitting from several of the other boxes however Ahri didn't want to bother Sona, who was determined to find the people called mages.

* * *

Sona lead the fox girl inside Happy Hour at Graggie's. The place was filled with people wearing dark purple robes that held a golden yellow pattern outlining the outfit. They all were huddled around a round table merely chugging down alcohol as well. To her dismay, she couldn't look further for the mages she truly sought as someone was already shouting her name across the bar.

"Sooooooooooooonnnnaaaaaaaaaa!" Lux shouted, leaping out of her chair.

 _Shoot._ Lux was the last person she wanted to stumble upon today. Sona's goal was to find out if she can reverse the spell on the fox, however, Lux always seemed to be able to talk endlessly about who knows what. Last time this happened to her, Lux managed to talk for five hours straight and the topic was just over clothes.

"Come come, sit, let me get you guys drinks," Lux dragged the two across the room to sit down as she ordered three shots of Vodka, "now tell me, what brings the two of you here?"

"Well you see, I believe that perhaps the fox was turned into a half-fox due to some sort of sorcery. I wanted to see if it was true and if there is a way to reverse the effect," Sona wrote down on her parchment.

"Did you ask Morgana? She is quite good when it comes to magic, especially the dark and forbidden art," Lux replied.

Sona nodded and began to write, "She was the one who sent me here in the first place."

A fat merry man came before them carrying three shots of vodka they had requested. He placed the drinks before them and headed off to attend the other drunken customers. Sona picked hers up and immediately began to sip away at it while surveying the room further. Swain, the master tactician, was a professional in shapeshifting into a chaotic and dangerous crow. Syndra was capable of conjuring powerful spheres as well as being able to produce disastrous black magic. Ryze was a renowned mage who had delved the furthest into the arcane arts and mastered dozens of arcane magic in his time. All three were top-notch mages capable of completing the task however Swain could transform into a bird itself so he could be her best option to safely return the fox to her original form.

"Well I suggest we enjoy ourselves and devour some alcohol first. Then we can go mage hunting," Lux suggested as she chugged down her beverage with one swift gulp.

"Or I'll go mage hunting first. I think Swain could prove useful in completing this task," Sona jotted down.

Lux frowned at the mention of Swain however she didn't argue. "Swain!" the blonde yelled, "get over here!"

The crow grumbled and muttered to himself, obviously wanting to be left alone, but came to them nonetheless.

" _What_ ," he hissed, clearly not holding back his hatred for Luxanne.

"Well you see, recently we found this fox girl and Sona believes she used to be a full-fledged fox before a spell was cast upon her, turning her into a human-like fox," Lux explained the current situation to him.

"Yes, such an act is possible. However, go find someone else to change her back. Such an act would take a while to complete and I am not willing to spend my time helping a _Demacian_ when I could spend it doing something much more enjoyable," Swain muttered before wobbling back to his seat in the dark corner secluded away from everyone else.

Sona silently sighed. She should have known that Swain would have refused her request. The crow hated anyone who was a Demacian or anyone who was friends with one. The same was said for a Demacian, they just couldn't stand the sight of a Noxian. The two nations were powerhouses amongst the people of Runeterra yet the two only wanted to see the other drop dead before them instead of uniting together.

"Hey, what about Vladimir? He seems capable enough, think he would help us?" Lux said.

Before Sona could stop her, Lux had already called him over. Sona let out another silent sigh. She would rather have saved the crimson reaper as a last resort if anything. She just couldn't stand the metallic smell that emitted from him or the bloodlust that glittered in his eyes. The chilling, icy presence and dread that seemed to surround him had always made her feel uneasy. It was as if his presence was the personification of the nightmarish and harsh realm of death.

Vladimir gracefully strolled across the room and bowed in front of the princess. Lux quickly blurted out the situation to him.

"I see, perhaps I can solve your problem. I presume the passed out girl with the nine-tails is the girl you speak of?" Vladimir pointed.

 _Passed out girl?_ Sona turned to where Vladimir pointed and saw the fox passed out on the counter. Next to her was ten empty glasses that were most likely once filled with vodka. _Shoot!_ She had totally forgotten the fox was there and that the bartender even handed her a shot of vodka. How did she also fail to notice the bartender gave her even more vodka as well?

Sona felt embarrassed that she made such a blunder however she nodded nonetheless.

Vladimir nodded back. He gently placed a finger onto the fox's neck and gently released a crimson substance. A minute and then another minute passed and for a moment it felt as if nothing would happen. The crimson reaper traced his finger down her body, making sure to follow the blood veins within her. After a moment he removed his finger and crossed his arms.

"The blood is tainted. The alteration of the blood is infused with traces of humanity. This results in the physical change of the fox. I could perhaps be able to remove the spell within her, but that will require some time. For now make sure she remains safe. I'll stop by within a few days or so," Vladimir responded.

Sona nodded. She took out her parchment and wrote down, "Thank You!"

Vladimir bowed once again before strolling back to his seat. Sona now put her full attention to the drunken fox. She nudged her shoulder gently but the animal wouldn't budge so she decided to shake her hard instead. The fox droopily woke up. She swayed back and forth before releasing a loud hiccup and then slipping out of her seat and crashing on the cold hard floor with a loud _thud_.

After paying the bartender, Sona picked up the fox and carried the animal on her back. She walked through the dark streets that night with only the dazzling bright moon to give her a sense of security within the darkness that surrounded her. The fox drooled slightly on her and she snuggled up against her back. Sona couldn't help but smile. _I really do want the best for this poor stray animal~_

* * *

Author's note: I genuinely do hope that you all enjoyed the story! If you think there is anything I can do to improve then feel free to pm me or leave a comment anytime! Once again thanks for coming to read!


	3. Shopping Disasters

Sona sighed. Lux signed her up to compete at the Harrowing music competition that is taking place in the annual Demacian masquerade ball on Halloween night. To her dismay, she wasn't able to pull out either. Once a name was submitted, you were either forced to compete or be frowned upon because you failed to show up to the event. Your name within the music world would be damaged tremendously. To make matters even worse, she needed to look after the fox which would drastically cut back the time she had to create a piece fitting for such a haunting event.

Sona ignored all the thoughts racing through her head as she gently pressed down upon the cold, icy keys of the grand piano. A wondrous sound emitted at the soft touch of the instrument. The musician began to chain the keys together to create a chilling melody that resonated across the room. The dissonance of the piece even managed to fill her with a feeling of dread and terror as it echoed across the house. However, the piece was nowhere near to perfection. It just didn't capture that haunting Halloween effect that she was trying to create.

The fox peered through the door with a look of unease. _Did she have a nightmare while she was sleeping on the couch in the living room? Perhaps the music had a negative impact on her while she was fast asleep._ Sona stopped her playing to motion for the fox to come over and sit down right next to her. The fox hesitated for a moment before coming towards her and sitting down on the bench.

This time when Sona pressed down upon the keys, a gentle yet soothing lullaby played. She poured her soul into her music and it seemed to pay off as the fox managed to fall asleep in her lap with a smile on her face. The musician took her hands off the keys and rubbed her head. _I'll return her to normal and return her home, no matter what_ ~

* * *

Sona looked through the mall for a costume shop, the fox following closely behind her. The musician decided to enter the shop entitled, 'Dracula's Emporium' and check it out. She just needed something simple for the Harrowing and nothing too extravagant. Then again, what if the judges prefer something lavish and exotic? I mean she was to be playing for all the nobles and even the King and the Queen themselves after all. However, her budget… the numbers was so hard for her to even look at anymore.

The fox nudged her sleeve and Sona looked at where she was pointing. It appears the fox was entranced by the beauty of this magnificent black draped dress. A pattern of cobwebs made out of glittering white jewels appeared across the costume as well. Maybe she thought too much into this and she should go with the cute dress the fox had found.

Sona picked up the dress and looked at the price tag. At that very moment the musician had learned a valuable lesson. The fox can easily spot a dress worth more than her entire life savings. She immediately grabbed the animal's hand and marched out of the shop. There was too many zeros on that dress for her taste. Instead of that overpriced shop, Sona made her way to the shop across from it called, "The Spider's Web", and entered.

"Seems like the insects have wandered into the spider's web," Elise, the mistress amongst the spiders, appeared above the counter, "Let me guess, you came from that shop across from me and couldn't stand the look of the prices of their merchandise? I myself honestly don't know why people buy that mess."

Sona nodded, she released her grip on the fox's hand and let her roam about the shop. The little animal looked so adorable when her eyes lit up and sparkled with excitement.

"So tell me dear," the spider woman crossed her eight arms, "I here that Lux had signed you up for the Harrowing music competition."

Sona sighed. She made her way to the counter and took out a tiny piece of parchment. She wrote: "Sadly yes, and I didn't intend on signing up in the first place either. I guess however this is a good chance for me to become known though."

"Well you must look elegant and graceful for the ball and yet still manage to fit the theme of a haunting creature of the night. Luckily for you, I have a dress in mind," Elise said.

The spider headed through the back door and within a minute she reappeared with an obsidian black dress covered with designs of cobwebs and Jack-O-Lanterns. To top it off, there was also a midnight black witch's hat with little pumpkins designs throughout. Sona couldn't even begin to describe the spooky feel when she looked upon the costume. It was just absolutely flawless. _Just how did she get such a marvelous outfit?_

The other dress Elise showed her was a dark orange dress covered with black rims that traced the outlining of the costume and spiraled from the sleeve all the way down to the bottom of the outfit. The look even came with a dark orange witch's hat with a Jack-O-Lantern face upon it. Once again, the dress was absolutely flawless and had a nice Halloween feel to it. The fox would love to wear this one.

"I see you looked intrigued. You see, to create the haunting effect, I use my handmade cobweb-like-string and dye to sow together the dress and its patterns," the spider proudly grinned.

Sona quickly took her paper out and wrote, "This is truly magnificent, it really is, however I don't believe my budget could afford such a masterpiece."

Elise laughed after reading it. "Do not be frightened my sweet dear, that shop may get away with ridiculous numbers, however my prices are much more realistic. I'll tell you what, I honestly quite enjoy listening to your music and I genuinely do hope you transcend your musical capabilities to a completely different level within the realms of music, so I am willing to sell you both dress for a total of fifty dollars."

 _Fifty dollars? For the two dresses?_ That price was unbelievably great and she was positive the fox would love the orange dress as well. Sona happily took Elise up on her offer.

"Wonderful my dear. I will go and put them in a bag," Elise said.

Sona turned around to motion for the animal to come and check out the dresses she had just bought but the fox was nowhere to be found.

Sona tapped on the counter to get Elise's attention and wrote, "The fox, did you see her leave?"

"Oh yeah, she walked out about five minutes ago," the spider replied.

Sona felt like curling up into a ball and crying. Once again she had managed to forget the fox was there with her and once again the fox had managed to get herself into trouble. At this rate, Sona may end up winning the, 'can't pay attention to an animal to save her life' award. The musician quickly handed the spider lady a fifty dollar bill and she took the bag and sprinted out the door.

"Good luck on the big stage," was the last words she heard before beginning her search for the fox.

* * *

Ahri strolled through the first floor of the mall. To her knowledge, this is a place where you trade in green leaves and get something back in return. Luckily for her, Ahri had planned ahead. After Sona mentioned going to the mall, the fox went outside and collected several of the green leaves falling from the trees. She was sure to find something the blue lady would love to thank her for her kindness she had shown.

Ahri decided to enter one of the places that the blue lady had called a shop and explore about. The fox was immediately entranced by the yellow string hanging on the wall. The way it glittered and dazzled in the light was absolutely gorgeous. She had to get it for the blue lady so she checked the tag to determine how many leaves she needed but since she couldn't understand what it all meant, she just took it and handed it to the lady on the counter. The fox took out all her leaves and gave it to her. It should be enough.

"Oh no no," the lady said, "not again with you young hooligans. Off with you and your shenanigans, and take your worthless leaves as well."

The woman snatched the string off the wooden counter and began to continue reading her white leaf. _Was it not enough?_

Ahri took her currency and sadly walked out of the store. It seemed that this would be no easy task; however the fox was willing to do everything she can to find something the blue lady would adore.

"I see you were eyeing that necklace in there. I know a place where you can find one similar but of better quality," a strange man came up to her.

Ahri tried her hardest to comprehend what he had said but to no avail. It sounded like a garbled mess to her.

"Follow me," the mysteriously strange man said.

Luckily for her, she was able to comprehend those words. She decided to follow him, maybe he could show her something the blue lady would enjoy. The fox really did want to see that smile spread upon Sona's face as pet her for her good job. The thought made her unconsciously wiggle and wag her nine tails.

The two stopped just right outside of a shop. The man gentle opened the door and motioned for her to enter. Ahri did as she was told and made her way into the shop. Immediately upon entering, a wooden object came flying to her, knocking her down. Nothing but darkness filled her vision and before she knew it, she was unconscious.

Ahri woke up with a giant pain throbbing through her head. There was also a strange thick string bounding her body still. She tried to break free of the wraps around her, but they wouldn't budge. There was also a white material of sorts in her mouth preventing her from squeaking out. In the distance of the abandoned shop, she could hear three voices talking about who knows what honestly. However she could make out the words sell and animal.

The fox flopped down on the ground and wiggled and hopped, hoping she could get closer to the door, however one of the men came and pinned her to the ground, preventing escape.

"Didn't anyone teach you not to go trust strange men? Honestly didn't think that it would be this simple to capture you. I mean seriously, you should have seen that coming quite easily. We didn't even need to use our trap to capture you either. Oh well, now how about you behave you little freak, and you'll receive minimal pain," the man said.

Anyone teach me not to trust strange men? How was she supposed to know whether someone is strange or not. In her defense, as a recently turned human, everyone was strange to her. She also didn't like how he was touching her, if only she had her claws back. This man's face would make for a nice scratching post.

The man released his grip on her and got up off her body and headed back to the other two men that were with him. The fox decided it was best not to continue to wiggle away, or else that man would be back. However, what else was there for her to do? She was trapped and bound and there was no way for her to escape.

In the corner of her eyes, she could see a man draped in a dark blue outfit hidden amongst the shadows. The man continued to sit where he was, eyeing her back, examining her. The fox tried to wiggle just slightly enough so she could get closer to him but he held up a hand to stop her.

"He's right you know. That was quite obvious to most people. No matter, I'll end this quick," the man whispered.

Then within a blink of an eye, the man disappeared. She wondered where he had went, but within a second she could pick up his scent. Her stomached felt uneasy now, her animal instincts had kicked in. She could sense the bloodlust that had emitted from the man. It reminded her of a patient predator pouncing upon his prey, ripping them to shreds.

The bloodthirsty man had appeared behind one of her captors. The fox wiggled to the side to catch him slicing off the captor's head. A crimson color erupting forth from the man as his corpse fall flat to the ground. Before the other two could even move, they met the same cold fate as the first.

Then the lust for blood ceased to exist. The killer wiped the crimson off of his silver blade before he used it to slice the rope holding her in place and ripping of the cloth in her mouth.

"Thankfully these guys were no more than just pathetic thugs thinking they can achieve wealth beyond their imagination through a life of thievery. Luckily for you however, a woman named Sona stumbled upon me and told me to keep an eye out if I were to see you. If it hadn't been for that, I may have just left you to wander with that thief and be sold off," the man said.

Ahri perked up at the mention of Sona.

"I was instructed to leave you a message if I were to find you. You should understand once you head outside," he said, "Follow the music~."

With those final utterings, the man had disappeared once again. However, what did that mean? Follow the music? Couldn't things just be simple for her? Her pounding head and aching legs made it harder for her to think about what the man has said as well. Then she heard it. From the distance she could hear Sona's playing.

* * *

Sona sat down upon the public grand piano within the mall and began to play. A dreadful dissonance erupted forth and she created a haunting thriller through the usage of the music. She played as loudly as she could, but no too loudly that it affected her music and worsened its beauty. The musician let the music explode out and echo off the walls and vibrate across the room. People now came to watch her play, all seemingly appearing to be enjoying the piece; however no one was the one she was looking for.

Sona didn't give up however; she poured her soul into the piece and let the music consume her. _Use your big furry ears of yours little fox. Please, follow the music!_

That's when Sona saw her. The fox had shoved away the crowd of people separating her and the fox. The animal stumbled through and wobbled to her, a feeling of shame shown across her face. The nine tailed fox merely pulled out her leaves in dismay and placed them on top of the piano for her to see. Sona gently finished the piece she was playing and got up off the wooden seat. She immediately went up and embraced the fox in her arms.

After a moment, Sona pulled back and on her parchment she wrote, "Let's return home."

Ahri nodded, seeming to enjoy seeing those words.

* * *

Author's Note: I do hope you all enjoyed reading the story so far and continue to hope you all will continue to enjoy my future chapters. Please leave a comment or send me a message and tell me how you think I could improve myself. Once again, I hope you all really did enjoy reading this!


	4. Unexpected Visitors

Sona reached into the refrigerator and took out a jug of milk and a can of tuna. She plopped off the lid and dumped the fish onto a piece of bread and squeezed it together with another slice. The milk she poured into a small cup. The musician reached into the fridge once more and took out some strawberries and washed them, and then put the berries onto the tray as well.

The fox was intently tapping upon the keys of the piano when Sona walked in. The sight of her sent her nine fluffy white tails wagging back and forth. Honestly. At times the creature reminded her of a cute little puppy eagerly waiting for their loved ones to return. The musician let out a smile at the thought.

The fox jumped off the piano bench and sat upon the bed with her legs crisscrossed. Sona sat down next to her and handed her the tray of assorted foods. The musician had learned fairly quickly that milk and berries were her favorites to snack on and she absolutely adored tuna. The animal eagerly began to dig into her meal, going straight for the strawberries first like usual.

Sona got up off the bed to allow the fox to be able to eat in peace and to go finish her daily chores. Upon exiting the room, a ding echoed across the hall. _Ding ding_. _Shoot_. Today was definitely not a good day for visitors either. Nonetheless, She went to her front door and reluctantly grabbed the gilded brass knob and opened it. Facing her now was the princess of Demacia, Luxanne crownguard. Next to her was a cougar-like woman. Her hair was the color of chestnuts and she wore the skins of what she believed to be from a bear. Lux gave her a beaming smile when she noticed Sona looking at the woman next to her.

"I have an idea," Lux said.

"This terrifies me greatly," Sona wrote.

"Have no fear my dear musician, my ideas are always flawless and brilliant!" Lux replied.

"As brilliant as the time you signed me up for a competition I never wanted to attend in the first place?" Sona wrote back, giving Lux a look.

"Salty," Lux pouted, "however I thought that the fox may be here for a while and we may never know if Vladimir's plan may actually work, so perhaps we can let this woman next to me, Nidalee, teach her the human language

Before Sona could ever argue the matter, Lux had already made her way in with Nidalee following closely behind. Sona sighed, no use trying to talk her out of it, besides; maybe this was actually a good idea? The fox learning how to speak the human language could benefit them greatly after all. The musician escorted the two to the room where the fox was at. The fox tried to cower away at the sight of the visitors but Sona held up a hand to signal it was alright. Nidalee quickly headed in and shut the door behind her, allowing them to be alone.

"You'll thank me later," Lux grinned.

Sona simply ignored her and headed to the kitchen. She took out a kettle and poured some water in. Afterwards, she took out a tea bag and placed it into the kettle and turned on the heat.

"Unlike you though; I genuinely believe that my decision to put you into that competition was a great idea, "Lux leaned up against the wall; arms crossed, "your music is beautiful."

Sona ignored her. In truth, she was still angry at what Lux had done as she was never a particular fan of playing for a large crowd and to be judged for that matter. She had a caretaker who never loved her as a child. The woman only abused her for profit; placing her in every competition she can enter. A puppet meant to entrance the audience with its music; that was all she was as a kid. Even now she could hardly perform in front of an audience due to such memories. It was a miracle she had mustered the courage to even play in the mall. However she had done it for the fox and there was only really ten or so people about who didn't really care all that much, playing for a much larger crowd was out of the question.

It was those judge mental eyes that stared upon you within the darkness. Those cold lifeless eyes that would pierce into your soul. They would abuse you by all means just for gain. Profit was what they wanted, not the music.

The musician got up from her seat and lifted the kettle off the stove and drained the substance into a pitcher which she then proceeded to pour the tea into a small glass cup. The wonderful aroma engulfed her as she sipped at it, the warmth of the drink flowing through her.

"Tell me Sona; what is music? What is music to you my dear musician?" Lux raised a brow.

Sona eyed the lady of light and thought about the question. Naturally a form of expression was the most obvious answer to such a question as you're unleashing your emotions and desires for the world to understand. However, she felt as if music held a slightly different yet deeper meaning for her. It wasn't the beautiful harmony or even the elegant melody, it was something else entirely.

After arriving to a conclusion, she took out her paper and wrote, "A form of communication."

"And how did you arrive to that conclusion?" Lux asked.

"If I just told you, then where is the fun in that?" Sona wrote back.

An hour had end up passing and Nidalee finally exited her room with the fox closely behind her. The two made their way to the kitchen and paused.

"Well it will definitely take a while for the fox to fluently speak English, but so far we are managing. A little shy at first but things came along quite nicely," Nidalee had told them.

"Fantastic! I'll make sure your paycheck comes each week then," Lux replied.

Nidalee nodded. She left the room and shortly after Sona could hear a door slam shut from the living room.

"Well, come on little fox; tell us what you have learned!" Lux said.

The animal shyly managed to squeak out the word, "Hi."

Lux rolled her eyes to Sona, giving her the _I told you my plans are brilliant_ look. Sona couldn't help but sigh with relief however. Maybe this whole idea wasn't a complete disaster after all. She got up from her seat and took out three glass cups and filled each with tea. The musician made Lux and herself a ham sandwich and for the fox a tuna sandwich and that is when the disaster happened. Sona flung the food onto the table and went up to the fox and grabbed her cheeks and shook her. She didn't know how or why it happened, but the fox said one of the 'forbidden words'.

The musician took out her paper and wrote, "the f word is a nono, bad word."

"Hey, at least she is increasing her vocabulary," Lux said.

"I will annihilate you," Sona wrote to Lux.

* * *

Ahri felt bad. It appears that what she had uttered angered Sona and she hated it when her beloved blue lady was upset with her.

She watched as Sona fumbled out of the kitchen and into the nesting room. A minute later she came back with a box labeled, _Halloween_ , and set it on the kitchen table.

"I promised the fox that we would hang decorations today, "Sona wrote, "care to spend your final hours decorating with us before I destroy you lady of light?"

"Hey, in my defense, how am I supposed to know Nidalee would teach her that? I'll make sure she doesn't do it again though," Lux murmured.

Ahri sighed. She had long since given up hope on comprehending what they were saying, so while they argued back and forth, she decided to explore what was in this box labeled Halloween. The fox pulled back the lid and immediately fumbled backwards at the sight of this giant spider. _Did the blue lady know such a humongous creature had tried to conquer the box_? She wouldn't let this spider harm the blue lady nor take this _Halloween_ so she mustered up the courage to confront it again. The fox poked its enlarged emerald eyes. She pulled back as if expecting it to do something, but it never moved. _Does that mean she won_? Just to be safe, she took the tuna sandwich Sona had left on the table and bashed it into the spider; hoping to squish it.

Lux seemed to notice as she let out a cheerful laugh.

Sona took out her white leaf and a small orange stick and wrote, "It friend. No hurt."

Ahri eyed the spider. _Humans keep spiders as friends_? In her homeland, these pesky things just wanted to poison you with their vicious fangs. The blue lady strolled across the room and picked up the spider and sat it down on the wooden table. The fox half-expected the monster to jump up and attack, but it never did. Sona began to take out the rest of the Halloween decorations. More tiny spiders came out as well as their cobwebs and even bones came out of the mysterious box.

To her surprise, hanging the decorations was quite pleasant and fun. The house definitely did look spookier as well. The only thing she didn't like was the cobwebs. Why give spiders a home? Did the blue lady adore spiders? _Wait, what if she loved spiders more than her_? The thought made the fox feel a little sad.

Next up, Sona led everyone back into the kitchen and she brought out three large orange circles and some sticks that the fox didn't know what they were.

"Finally we are getting to the fun stuff. No Halloween decorations are complete without pumpkins!" Lux said.

"This time, let's try not to throw the pumpkin guts at each other," Sona wrote.

"Hey, that was so worth it," Lux replied back.

"Yeah, because someone had ran off without cleaning up the mess," The musician wrote back.

Sona placed one of the orange spheres and some of the sticks in front of the animal. She cut off the top of the sphere and told her to empty it. The fox did just that and it felt so weird. Slimy, wet, and gross was what it was. The process of gutting it was awful and a bit boring as well to be honest. After finishing the nightmarish task, Sona told her to take this other stick and make a picture on the circle. What would she make though? Maybe a berry, or perhaps a fish, or maybe even a berry fish?

The thought suddenly struck her, so she immediately began the task. She took the stick and shoved it through the sphere as the blue lady had instructed. With a little help from blonde; Ahri learned and managed to create a smiling girl with a long dress and long hair. Next to the girl was a small fox with nine tiny tails. Over all, the creation went pretty well, aside from the few times she poked her fingers with the sharp, pointy stick.

The fox presented the final piece to Sona and the woman smiled. The blue lady stuck some strange object into the pumpkin and then she took another device and emitted a bright orange flame. She put the flame upon the object and Ahri watched as the image brightened. It truly felt as if it came to life. A smiling woman and her fox was what she tried to portray.

* * *

"Well I am finished with my pumpkin. I'll leave it here for you to use. Not much a little pumpkin will do within a gigantic castle anyways," Lux said, "don't forget my dear musician, the Harrowing will arrive soon."

"You keep bringing it up and I get it already. I'll be there, but don't expect me to like any moment of it," Sona jotted down quickly before continuing her pumpkin.

Lux merely shrugged. Before leaving though, the lady of light stopped by right next to her and leaned in to whisper, "I don't know what kind of past you may have had. I really don't and I genuinely do hate it. Your my best friend and I feel like I should know a lot more about you yet in the end, I feel like I know so little. However I do know one thing for sure. Play your music because that is what you enjoy. Your music is beautiful, so don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

Lux walked past her and Sona could hear a soft click resounding from the living room. Out of curiosity, the musician went to see what the princess had decided to carve. On the pumpkin Sona could see the image of a grand piano.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you all ended up liking the chapter. Please tell me how you think I can improve my story! Hoped you all enjoyed!


	5. The Night of the Harrowing

The room was filled with joyous laughter as the nobles pranced about amongst one another. Pumpkins and cobwebs and other dark décor filled the room. Black mist oozed out amongst the flooring of the area to intensify the spookiness. People of all sorts were covered in many kinds of furs and fangs and held many other inhuman qualities. Ahri nudged the furs of the blue lady and held on. In truth, she was terrified.

This was like the mating grounds she had gone to except much worse. A mating ground full of all sorts of savage beasts was absolutely horrific. If her mother ever found out about this, she was definitely going to be some Ionian's fox stew. The mere though was terrifying.

The blue lady held up a hand and gently rubbed her head, putting her at ease. She then led her across the room and to a table where all sorts of wonderful fragrances spouted about. Next to the table she saw blonde talking to some male. _Probably initiating the beginning of the mating process no doubt_. At the sight of them blonde waved off the man and ran over to Sona.

"There she is my little musician. Who feels like a winner today? Ready to send shivers down the spines of the audience?" Lux beamed.

Sona took out her usual white leaf and wrote, "I feel like I am going to suffocate. I didn't think it'll be this crowded. Can't I just back down and have you take my place?

Lux gave the blue woman a look. "Well, I mean I could go and put on a blue wig and all," the princess began to contemplate what she had just said, "and I could become the new Sona and take over your life and then I'll be the real Sona and you would be the lousy fake…"

"Don't make me annihilate you," Sona wrote, "I'll play."

Ahri's mind began to wonder again. She began to gaze up towards the stage in the center of the ballroom and glanced upon the midnight black wooden object Sona had called a grand piano. She could imagine the blue lady up there entrancing the audience with the spectacle of her music. The soothing sounds erupting forth from the little white sticks; she could hardly wait for the event.

A slight glacial chill came forth practically out of nowhere. She could hear faint, agonizing screams floating about in the air. A man who resembled a ghost from the ancient stories she heard in Ionia appeared before her. He held out a boney finger and pointed at her.

"You my dear do not be afraid. Your appearance may have changed, but your soul never wavers. Let me guide your very being out from that shell of yours and take you away from the realms of the living and let you grace upon a new journey. Allow me to liberate your soul from the chains that bind it to this domain and free you," the specter whispered.

Ahri stumbled back afraid. She may not have understood him fully, but the harrowing souls floating around him told her enough. With her big furry ears, she could hear them cry out in pain. The fox managed to find the furs of the blue woman and nudged down to get her attention. Sona ceased her conversation to turn around. Upon seeing the ghost, a look of annoyance shone upon her face.

"Are you here to ripe away the souls of more beings? My precious fox here doesn't want your kind of 'liberation' so please leave her alone," Sona wrote.

"You know nothing my dear. I merely seek to help her," Karthus murmured.

"Putting her through eternal torment is not helping anyone," Sona wrote in response.

"One who frees the soul through the passions of music and one who frees by breaking the binds that chains them to this realm. Two different beings yet purposes remains clear. I am looking forward to your playing my dear. Dazzle me with your music and let me understand the strength of your liberation," Karthus said, leaving them all to wonder.

* * *

Sona sighed. The poor fox meekly stood by her all horrified now thanks to the reaper. She tried to calm her but she could still see the twinkle of terror shining in her eyes. Even lux failed to calm her and she was an expert at cheering someone up.

"That's it, who let the reaper in? I am going to kill that person myself," Lux spouted out of nowhere.

"You yourself said anyone is welcome, so you are going to be killing yourself it seems," Sona wrote in response.

"Flapjacks. Well let's just keep the phantoms away from the fox. If Karthus frightened her, then she will definitely break down at the sight of Thresh," Lux murmured.

Sona agreed. A reaper whose entire purpose was eternal torment will not help the situation. The musician could smell a tinge of metallic blood in the air now. In the distance through the fog she could see a man with hair as white as snow and a cloak and robes the color of crimson. He appeared before her and grinned, revealing his vampire like fangs.

"Roar," he said. After no reaction he sighed, "Someone told me to stop looking so gloomy and dark so I tried to appear more cheerful. Anyways, if all goes well, the cure is complete."

"Okay, we will have the fox take it once the event is over," Sona wrote.

"No. It must be done now. On the night of the Harrowing, dark magic or anything relatively similar is empowered. My cure will take some time to mix within her blood system and get into the cells and fuse together. It would be best to begin the process immediately," Vladimir responded.

Sona nodded quietly. The crimson reaper reached into his pocket and withdrew a scarlet substance in a bottle. He held up a glass cup with water and poured the substance in. The man took a tiny spoon and stirred it together. Once he was done, he handed it to her.

"The water should dilute some of the flavor so it should be more tasteful. All you need to do is have her drink," the reaper said, "The stroke of midnight is the finale. The ringing of the bell within the night is the signal that the effect has completed."

Sona understood. She took the drink from Vladimir's hands and made her way back to the fox. Lux was still trying to cheer up the animal and seemed to have failed miserably. The musician walked up to the fox and held up the glass.

"Drink. Better," Sona wrote.

The fox grabbed the cup and chugged it down unquestioningly. Sona noticed the tinge of discomfort shining in her eyes as she emptied the cup.

"Did you just tell her to drink the wine? Are you crazy? Are you just going to make her pass out?" Lux raised a brow.

"No. It is a chemical to change her back to normal," Sona wrote back.

If all goes according to plan, she will return to her normal state soon enough. However, she couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of sadness at the thought. She was going to miss the fox, but it was all for the better. There was only an hour left before her appointed time of playing at 11:50pm comes. The least she could do was play to her a farewell song.

She could hear footsteps running behind her. A man grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. Vladimir appeared before her once again. A look of worry shone across his face.

"My dear, I am so sorry," he said, "I forgot to also bring this one other substance with me."

Sona blinked and wrote, "And is that… a bad thing…?"

"Yes, very. You see, the substance I gave you will indeed work, but the effects of transformations are catastrophic. It will kill her in the end. The substance I forgot… and left in the temple in the mountains of Noxus… was supposed to stabilize the transformation and keep her alive," Vladimir said, "I can try to conjure up another potion, but the time required to finish it, I don't think it can be done. Traveling on land to the temple will take forever as well."

 _This imbecile neglected to remember something so key and important_? A million thoughts raced through her mind, but she didn't waste any time to write any. Instead, she needed to get that solution.

She immediately raced towards the lady of light and quickly explained the current situation.

"I have an enchanted broomstick. I can take to the skies. The fox should stay here though as she will most likely fall off. I'll be back in no time, just wait here," Lux said.

"When you enter the temple, head immediately to the right and take the stairs down and go to the cabinet with the potions and grab the one marked with a giant A," Vladimir said.

The princess nodded. She gave a whistle and the broomstick of hers soared straight into her hands. Lux mounted the contraception and set off into the night.

* * *

Lux roamed through the skies, the wind breezing through her face. The sea of stars shone brightly above within the midnight sky as she soared past. She couldn't help but unveil a chaotic laughter. The thrill of the skies had always managed to entice her. The air is where she felt more at home anyways. It was as if she was liberated from the horrors of her princess lifestyle and got to live freely. Freedom is a blessing royalty rarely got to experience after all.

The lady of light traveled through the sky for a while until she could see the homeland of her potential enemies, Noxus. The lady of luminosity sailed past and headed straight into the dark and foggy mountains until she stopped just outside the temple Vladimir had mentioned. She dismounted her broomstick and set it next to the door and cracked open the door to the haunting domain.

The room was bleak black and eerie. Cobwebs and dust filled the entirety of the place, obviously revealing it hadn't been properly cleaned out in ages. The sorceress casted an incantation and an orb the size of her palm appeared out of thin air. She grabbed the radiant orb and allowed it to beam its dazzling light all through the ominous domain. Not as if there was anything to truly see though, the place was practically empty.

Lux did as she was instructed and took the steps on the right down and found herself in what she believed to be Vladimir's spell chambers. Hundreds of spells were aligned amongst the dusty walls of the room. The lady of light quickly spotted the cabinets that held the potions and strolled towards them. She found the one marked with an A and reached for it.

"My dear, what brings you into this domain?" A reaper strolled up behind her.

She turned around to eye a ghostly green phantom gazing upon her. Nightmarish chains scrapped against the floor upon his movement into the room and a bright lantern hung at the side of his belt.

"Thresh, I didn't expect you to be here," Lux murmured.

"You have not answered my question," Thresh said.

"Just getting this potion here that Vladimir requested me to bring," Lux replied honestly, "now what brings you here? Today is the night of the harrowing, shouldn't you be collecting souls?"

"I am. Normally I wouldn't target someone within the institute though, but I lust for stronger on the harrowing. I wanted to shatter the mentality of the feared reaper of crimson, but the optimistic lady of light would be thrilling." Thresh let out a haunting laugh.

Lux quickly shoved the potion in her pocket and casted a blinding light. Thresh let out a screeching bellow as the light blazed his body. She dashed past him and ran up the steps and found herself in the main hall. The princess sprinted towards the exit but ethereal chains wrapped around her left foot. Slowly walking up the steps, she saw the phantom coming up.

"Running makes it only more fun," Thresh murmured.

Lux desperately tried to break free but it was no use. The specter was upon her now and held up his hand. She could feel the warmth of her body flee to be filled with the glacial terrors of the afterlife; her soul felt as if it was being ripped apart piece by piece from her body. With her last strength, she slid out her wand and said an ancient spell her grandmother passed down to her.

Behind Thresh, a miniature ball resembling the sun blared out and covered the room with its radiant light. The ghost screamed into the night. He released his grip upon his chains and she was able to break free. She immediately made a run for it while the effect was still happening. The lady of light dashed outside and grabbed her broomstick and set off into the sky, leaving behind the agonizing screams of Thresh. _Never mess with the power of light you big dumb phantom_ she thought to herself.

* * *

She walked onto the stage and made her way to the piano. She sat in the darkness of the stage and remained silent and unmoving. Her hands began to clam up at the sight of all the people gazing at her. The three judges remained motionless in their seat and held their judge mental and cold eyes upon her.

The announcer introducing her was nothing more than a blur to her as she saw Lux stumbled back on her enchanted broomstick. She held up the substance Vladimir requested to show she had retrieved it and Sona let out a sigh of relief. The lady of luminosity quickly made her way to the fox and Vladimir and the crimson reaper quickly grabbed it. Once again he poured the substance into water and stirred it and urged the animal to drink it. At first she hesitated but surely enough, she began to drink.

"And without further ado, I present to you Sona!" The announcer had finally said.

The light from the stage radiated forth and shone down where she sat. The audience remained quietly, anticipating her playing. A tinge of terror began to well up inside of her and she didn't know if she could even play. Then from the silence of the room she heard the fox shout out her name.

"Sona, you can!" She shouted.

The words alone gave Sona enough courage to begin playing. She gently tapped the white keys and emitted a dark, haunting and eerie melody. The dissonance of the chords created the chilling effects she was looking for to add the spice of Halloween she wanted. The sounds echoed through the room and bellowed about. The music moved her very soul and she could feel the icy effects that she had played.

Time slowly passed for her and she hardly even noticed until the bells rang out across the domain. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the fox cough and fall down. She was hidden within the crowd and out of her sight now. She wanted to run forward and help her by all means, but she knew the transformation was taking place and best not to intervene. Even so, she wanted to be by her side. All she could do now was to do the only thing she knew how and that was to say goodbye with her music. For the rest of the night the music filled the room and dissolved into the night.

* * *

Author's Note: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please tell me how I could improve and what you all thought about it! Thanks for reading!


	6. A History Long Lost

The competition had ended and to Sona's dismay, she was only fifth place. Out of fifty competitors though, her placing was quite spectacular and she felt less shy at these tournaments now as well, but she still felt a tinge of sadness at the thought though. She truly did shoot for the top spot, but in the end she missed and fell down to fifth. Winning it could have gave her immense renown too and worldwide popularity for her music, which would have been splendid as well. Guess it just wasn't meant to be sadly.

Lux of course had tried cheering her up the entire week as well. The clown of a princess had succeeded quite easily at that too. However the musician couldn't help but shake that saddening feeling that lurked within her though. Then there was the matter with the lady of luminosity herself. She kept up that beaming smile of hers like always, but it felt like something was off. Lux seemed to act strange at times. Did something happen at the Masquerade ball that she was unaware of?

Then there was the matter with Vladimir. The reaper's potion had failed miserably. The fox never reverted back to her original form. For days the man had searched for the cause of the results yet only managed to produce mere theories. Something about the person who cast the curse had manage to block the flowing of magic or any solution enhanced with it. Only the magic of the caster was able to flow within her veins and the rest were cleansed from her body, or at least Vladimir theorized.

Sona reached out a hand to rub the sleeping fox. Currently the two sat on a leather couch within the princess's chambers. Across from her sat Lux in her warm fur chair and Vladimir in a leather chair.

"I sent the sheriff of Piltover to run analysis and to send me the records for criminal history of anyone related with magic. Perhaps we can hunt them down and see if any of them are or know the person we are looking for," Sona wrote.

"If only your useless potion worked, we wouldn't be trapped in this mess then," Lux teased the reaper.

Vladimir looked hurt at the remark. "Magic is a complex creation. To manipulate the flow of blood and separate millions of magical particles entwined within the blood cell without creating a blockage in the veins and arteries of a living organism that would wind up killing the animal…you try that."

"Sure, let's try it right now. You can even be the test subject as well Vladdie," Lux giggled.

Sona watched as the lady of light bounced out of her seat and chased the reaper around. Her mind slowly began to trail into other thoughts. Just what would happen to the fox if they were never able to return her back? What will her family think? Her home was elsewhere, but it seems like returning her back will be delayed for quite some time.

Caitlyn was even tirelessly searching for the documents she wanted but so far from the ones she sent, none of them looked as if they could be related to the criminal. Most were just magicians that got caught in robberies or simple petty theft. The person she was looking for must have been of a higher class if he was present during warfare. Well, at least she presumed the magician was at the war, or why else would the animal be lying in the middle of it.

The fox stretched and nuzzled her head further into the musicians lap. Sona continued to pet her more and she could hear soft purring from the animal. She was like a cute little puffball sometimes.

* * *

 _"Wait here my brothers and sisters, let the eldest see what is happening," Ahri wrinkled her nose and squeaked._

 _The fox peaked out of her little nest and in the distance she could hear constant shouting. Pleas and screams for help resounded all through the forest floor. Hesitantly, she pounced out of her home and began to chase after the sounds she could hear. She hopped over roots and skimmed past bushes; stepping upon the fallen twigs and leaves along the way. Soon, the ground unveiled a body lying down. The face was frozen in horror and the skin was deathly pale. The fox nudged the body but he never moved, so she continued on her path._

 _The further she continued; the more bodies littered the grounds. Each one was similar to the rest. Soon she could see what lay beyond her homeland. The forest gave way to a great grassy plain and she noticed hundreds of men playing about in the area. Each of them was covered in some kind of hard silver fur. These strange being would take their silver sticks and bash it against one another. From her comprehension, the goal of this game was to make your opponent cry out in pain by beating them and the winner is declared when they can make something red pour from their opponent's body and if they fall down._

 _The animal was about to turn around when she noticed a hand coming from one of the men laying down suddenly jolted up as if searching for something. She skipped over to him and licked his old scrawny face. The man slowly turned his head and saw the creature, and smiled softly. He placed a hand upon her back and stroked gently. The fox had recognized the person; he was a baker who made all kinds of delectable foods for her to snack on upon her visits to his bakery. Her favorites were always the blueberry muffins. Even though she saw its creations countless times, she always found herself entranced by the orange flame that came in the box he put the substances in._

 _"I'm glad I was able to see you one last time," the man smiled, tears pouring down his cheeks._

 _The man's hand slowly slid off her body and landed upon the ground with a loud thud. The fox ceased her licking and nudged the fallen hand. When the baker never moved she began to wander away as she didn't want to disturb him while he was sleeping peacefully. She'll be sure to stop by his bakery later when he was awake and get herself a tasty blueberry muffin._

 _The sight of a radiant light had quickly caught her attention. The orb was somehow mesmerizing and without realizing it; she found herself walking to it. She poked at the ball and the creation rolled away. The fox got into a leaping position and pounced on top of the thing and pawed it back and forth. The orb was honestly quite fun to play with._

 _Without her noticing, a man bathed in dark purple robes came upon her; a grin appeared through the darkness of his hood. He held out his hand and Ahri hesitantly sniffed before brushing her back against his palm as if she were a cat._

 _"Look around little animal and what do you see? The realm of men had plummeted into the realms of chaos and nothing can bring back mankind from the depths of this abyss," he spoke softly, "we beings believe we made it to the stars but we truly have never transcended from animals in the end. Only the strong survive while the weak are hunted down, nothing has changed from animals and humans. We ourselves became our own downfall."_

 _The fox eyed the man curiously, but only for a moment before continuing to play with the ball. She honestly had no clue what he was babbling on about._

 _"Tell me my little one, do you wish to partake in a new journey? To travel down a path that was forbidden to you but can now be opened up, do you wish to go down this long and treacherous path," the man said, "enter this new realm, and experience it for yourself."_

 _The phantom like man tapped the blue orb and the ball dispersed into bits of sparkling dust. The pieces scattered about upon her bright orange fur and sank in. Her vision began to slowly fade away. The man was nothing more than a blur to her now. She didn't notice as she plummeted to the ground, darkness surrounded her now. An icy chill swept up upon her and blue was the last thing she saw before she couldn't see anything again._

* * *

Ahri jolted upright, her body was covered in an icy sweat. Next to her was the blue woman and in the distance she spotted the blonde. She had completely forgotten they had stayed over in the oversized box, or what the cougar girl had called a _house_. The cougar described a house as usually a small place to live at, like the size of Sona's place, yet this home was basically twenty times the size.

The fox stretched before getting up off the leathery couch. It just didn't feel the same as the bed she normally slept in, so she gave up on sleeping to go explore. She tiptoed out of the room and slyly glided down the hallway as to not wake up anyone.

Her first adventure led her into a well-rounded room. There were these crazy white leaves all across the room. The cougar called this place a _library._ Ahri pulled out a book and attempted to read it. Naturally she understood nothing so she tossed it to the ground. To her dismay, she couldn't read anything yet, so she left a pile of books she flung to the ground and headed down the columns of stories, perhaps they ordered things from most difficult to easiest.

At the end of the insanely long pathway, Ahri noted most of the books were smudged and unreadable. She pulled out one of the books and coughed from the sheer about of dust that poured out. The contents within were incomprehensible so she gave up and tried another but to no avail. It seemed like this place hadn't been used in centuries.

Upon pulling out the fifth book though, the bookcase swung open to reveal a hidden path. It was like one of those cliché things she saw in this thing called a _movie_ she watched with the blue lady. Good place to hide this entrance as well, no one would ever think to even come here with all this dust and cobwebs, and it is so far back from the other books.

The fox entered through the ancient passage of the kingdom. The steps were hard and cold upon her paws and the path was dark. She could hardly see anything in front of her as she traveled down the long winding path. At the end of the passage though, she found herself in a large spherical room full of… well honestly she had no clue.

To the right there was a bookcase full of dirty old books and there was several of these wooden table things filled with a variety of leaves and a skull sat on top. Its crooked smile gave her the creeps. The fox poked at the head before being determined it was fine, so she began to move on.

"Well well, think you can poke an ol skeleton's head and get away with it, do ya?" a voice came behind her. Ahri jumped back and looked around. "Right here ya ditz," the head pouted.

The fox found the skeletal head and sniffed at it. She was almost positive the thing was dead. How is it moving?

"You?" she managed to squeak.

"You? I don't know what you are asking nor do I care. Scram you filthy animal. There are enough rodents here as it is," the skeleton said.

Ahri gave the thing one last quick glance before making her way out of the room to get far away from whatever it was. This new room she found herself in was full of hard gold stuff. She strolled around, hoping to find something Sona may like, until her eyes caught upon this golden circle metal. It even had a face that resembled the skeleton in the other room on it.

"My my, please excuse that useless head. He is quite an angry thing he is. As for me, I am Zhonya's Ring. You have entered a strange place for your kind. You best leave and quickly at that," it spoke.

Ahri manage to understand the world _leave_ so that's what she decided to do, she'll figure out just what this place is at a later time. She traveled up the steps she had come from and exited the place. Upon leaving, the passageway closed on its own, leaving her back in the library. The fox quickly skipped out and away from the columns of books and left the library altogether. She had enough of those leaves for one day.

Upon rounding the corner she bumped herself into cold plating. She looked up to eye a man with bright blue eyes and chestnut color hair. He was covered in the strange wood thing, or whatever it was as well.

"You must be the fabled fox I keep hearing about. My name is Garen," he said, "let's return you back before you wander and get lost."

He held out a hand and she quickly panicked. This is just like how the mating process works. A girl or guy stumbles upon another organism and they get to know each other, then they hold hands and proceeds to shove their faces and squish their faces together. She was too young for this, she wasn't reading to shove her face into his.

"No need to be shy, I am not going to hurt you," he said.

"…" she remained silent.

Garen eventually gave up on grabbing her hand to lead her, so he just motioned for her to follow. The fox did so and meekly followed at a safe distance behind him until she realized where he was leading her too. He opened the door to the princess's room and she quickly entered. The animal stood in the darkness of the room and sighed. At least this got her tired again, so he plopped down on the leathery couch and nuzzled back up next to the blue lady and fell fast asleep.

* * *

Author's note: Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! If there is anything you think that can be improved upon, then please leave a comment! Thanks and Hope you enjoy reading more of what I write!


	7. Winter Wonderland

Sona sat down on the icy bench and let the cold morning chill sweep the air and she embraced it. It had been a long while since she last enjoyed a beautiful winter wonderland. The landscape was practically packed with snow. The sight really was absolutely astonishing as well.

Luckily the snow packed tightly and easily too. The fox was practically overwhelmed by the spectacle and couldn't help but indulge herself within the wintry mix. She already learned how to make snowballs and apparently she was the target for several hours.

Currently the little creature was exploring the world of a snowman. She was building a miniature army of the snow warriors, and she was slowly starting to make bigger ones. It has been awhile since she last saw anyone so enthusiastic about snow. Most people within the kingdom or where she lived found the snow to be a hindrance.

Sona looked down at the papers she held within her hand. She had scrolled through the list the sheriff of Piltover had given her but none of them seem to be a match. However, a former criminal of the institute may give her a lead. The infamous criminal was a high class summoner before he was caught in the act. Seems like that would be where she'll go tomorrow perhaps.

Another issue on her mind was Lux. It seemed like nothing she could do would convince the counsel she was on to reconsider maybe helping Noxus. Lux couldn't tell her much on the matter due to classified information, but she summed it up with "Jarvan just wants to impale everything." It had even gotten to the point where she had caught Lux writing a romance story about Jarvan and his Javalin after the princess was bitter over one of her meetings.

The fox tossed a snowball at her face, the cold icy ball splashed against her with a thud. Sona pushed away all the thoughts that raced within her as she packed a ball of snow and began the snow wars.

* * *

Lux leaned over on her wooden chair and looked out the window. She could see the cute little fox play around in the snow. The sight of the white wonderland had sent her rushing out the door and leaping into the mounds of snow. This was her first time seeing a large amount of snow after all as Ionia often had a mild temperature but nothing too drastic. Not to mention the Ionian forest had gigantic trees that merely hindered the flakes from reaching the ground.

Beside the animal was Sona. She was rolling a ball on the ground to get it larger before placing it upon another sphere of snow. The fox came running up and placed a carrot on the top ball and made a face with pebbles. The musician gave the figure stick hands and taped a wand to the stick and put on a blonde wing on top of its head. Lux couldn't help but giggle at the snow Lux.

The sudden slamming of a door made her jump a little. She turned around to see the last of Demacia's council member arriving. Lux's joy quickly turned into despair. Once again they were to debate about what to do with the rising threat Noxus, but she knew how it would end anyways. It was always the same; the council will rant on about Noxus while she was to protest. In the end nothing gets done and time is wasted. She'd rather have this entire mess to cease so she could go out and play in the snow.

"Now that everyone is here, let us begin," Jarvan spoke.

"I propose we should be friends with Noxus. I honestly don't see what is so wrong with them. No need to create mindless bloodshed if they haven't done anything to us," Lux said.

"We know Lux; you say the same thing every time. The rest of the council is on a different page than you and we are sick of waiting, so today's meeting is about the eradication of Noxus," Jarvan replied.

Eradicate? Just when did everyone agree to these terms? She certainly did not hear anyone arrive to this conclusion. Last meeting everyone was still debating the matter…

"Have you been having meetings without me?" Lux asked.

"Well, we did want to make some sort of progress…" Jarvan trailed off.

"Tell me, what is so wrong with Noxus? They haven't doing anything wrong!" Lux almost shouted.

This time she didn't get an immediate answer, but she better get one soon. To her dismay though, she already knew the answer to her own question. It was because they are different from normal humans. Change is what scares this useless council so much and it angered her so. Why must her people persecute someone over mere differences?

"Because they are monsters! We can't have filthy beasts running about thinking they are high and mighty," a noble of Demacia finally said it.

"You are going to torment a nation over mere looks when they have meant us no harm? Pathetic, all of you," Lux muttered bitterly.

"With all due respect princess, peace doesn't solve everything in the world. They are savaged beats," the noble spoke, "their hierarchy is a perfect example. Only the strong have risen while the weak crumbles."

"What is different about our hierarchy? Rich snobs like yourself rise while the good poor people suffer," Lux spat back.

"ENOUGH," Jarvan bellowed across the room, "both of you silence. Lux, we have already made our word final."

Lux jumped out of her seat and stormed out the door. She would have no part in a council of imbeciles that sought mindless destruction. The lady of light made her way through the narrow hallway and skipped down the flight of stairs three steps at a time before nudging open a door that led outside.

She was quickly greeted by the icy morning chill as it swept upon her. Lux quickly spotted Sona and the fox and quickly made her way over to them. The lady of light sat down on the icy cold bench next to where her friend sat and watched as the animal pounced about in the snow.

"How was the meeting?" Sona wrote, "ever get anything through their thick skulls?"

"Nope, not in the slightest." Lux sighed.

"Don't you just love politics?" Sona wrote in response.

"Heh, tell me about it. Even having secret meetings behind my back," Lux pouted.

Demacia would never change. They despise other beings quite quickly. They were quick to label something as a monster and sought its eradication. Couldn't they ever learn there is more to someone than what laid on the exterior of a being? How and why the people of Demacia haven't butchered the strange fox yet was practically a Christmas miracle.

"Any word from Vladimir? Lux raised a brow. She was curious if any news was found, but she was more intrigued in Sona's reaction to the reaper. Honestly, she totally shipped the two, and if she were a better writer, she would even make a romance novel about the two.

Sona only shrugged. "Nothing yet," she wrote back.

"And what do you think of the reaper? He does seem kind of cute, should ask him to the snowdown showdown ball!" Lux suggested.

Sona's reaction was priceless. Her face quickly turned red and she kept quickly nodding no. Reactions like these made her want to see them become a thing even more. Now that she thought about it though, she'll need to pull countless strings to safely get Vladimir to come without Jarvan impaling everything.

Sona can't just wear a blue dress either. She'll need to fix her wardrobe as well.

"We are heading to the mall this weekend," Lux stood up and declared, "you need to look spectacular if you ever want Vladimir to fall in love with you. Sonamir is definitely happening."

Sona's face became bright red at the remark, "OR I can stay home and set up decorations with the fox!"

"Fine fine, but nothing can stop Sonamir. Now tell me my dear friend, knowing that the reaper is useless as always, has the sheriff given you any real information or leads?" Lux asked, still curious of any news.

"I have managed to get a list of suspects, yes, but no definite answer yet," Sona wrote.

Lux sighed. Their mysterious magician sure doesn't like to reveal themselves. _I wonder if the fox even wants to return back to normal_ she thought. The creature honestly seemed to enjoy herself as it was. Perhaps she found a new home at Sona's place? Really, at times it feels like Sona wants to change her back more than the fox herself.

"Hey Lux, can I ask you a question?" Sona jotted down on her paper.

"Go for it. Ask away… well I guess in this case its write away!" she chuckled.

"You are always thriving to help the Noxians during the meetings, but why are you fighting for them? Shouldn't they mean nothing to you? I mean, you don't even know them," the musician asked.

Lux scratched her head and looked over to the fox playing in the snow so carefree. "It's because I don't know them that makes me want to fight."

She was sick of Jarvan's war on the different. Some days she wished that she could impale him with a Javalin and make him see how it feels. He always gets his way with these situations and she was tired of it. Never again will she let it happen again…

* * *

 _"Sona! Soooooooooona! Look at what I found!" Lux showed her ten year old musical friend her magnificent finding. The creature was a tiny blue puffball the size of a tennis ball and had a giant tongue sticking out and flopping about. The creature was so cute, but it seems like her friend had thought differently. The lady of light watched as she took out her parchment and began to write down something._

 _"Lux, you know Jarvan will not tolerate this animal. You should get rid of it before he finds out," Sona wrote._

 _Lux knew she was right. Anything fluffy and cute was often banished in Demacia, but how could anyone hate such a cute puffball? Maybe he just hated cute things because he knows he'll never find himself a cute girlfriend._

 _The lady of luminosity decided to name it snowflake since she found it in the snow. Not even the prince will deprive her of snowflake either. Just to be safe though, she'll hide the critter for now so she wouldn't have to worry._

 _"I recognize that mischievous face of yours Lux. You better not be planning to hide it," Sona pouted._

 _"You know me so well," Lux sighed._

 _In the distance through the thick snow that rained down, she could see a carriage strolling up on the road to the kingdom. Jarvan must have finished his meeting with the neighboring town. Terror filled her legs now and she could hardly move. The path would lead straight to them and surely he'll stop before them since they were out playing when they shouldn't be. If he found her out now, she would be toast._

 _Sure enough, the carriage pulled up before them and Lux quickly said a silent prayer. The door slowly creaked open and a leg appeared. Suddenly she saw Sona run up and slam the door on the prince's leg and continued to mindlessly bash the leg. The musician signaled for her to run and she didn't hesitate. Honestly, she was surprised the goody two-shoes Sona would pull a stunt like that, especially upon the prince. She'll have to make it up to her big time later._

 _The lady of light leapt through the snow and made a run for it to her old tree fort. They never use it anymore, so they'll never expect to come here. She quickly jolted up the steps of the tree and busted through the door. Warmth quickly flushed away the icy cold that filled her. The puffball seemed to enjoy the heart as well. Snowflake jumped out from her grasp and waddled about on the floor. She just wanted to cuddle with the cute ball of fluff, but if she stayed any longer then people will surely wonder her whereabouts, so she took off her layers of coats and made a small bed for the creature before scurrying back outside and locking the door of the fort tightly._

 _Cold quickly filled her once again, but this time it was practically unbearable. She ran as fast as her tiny legs could carry her to get back to where she left Sona. Lux could finally now make out tiny blurs in the blizzard. Soon, those blurs took shape to reveal Sona and Jarvan. The prince stopped his scolding upon her appearance and limped his way to her. Hopefully her punishment wouldn't be too severe._

* * *

Author's Note: Hopefully you all enjoyed my story. Been meaning to write a winter special so here it goes; the beginning of the winter arc. I hope you guys all enjoy it and please tell me what you all think about it!


	8. Snowflakes in the air

Lux skipped out of the meeting room with a beaming smile on her face. It's been a week and each day the meetings had begun to sway into her favor. Now the council couldn't give an immediate response on war and many shared mixed feelings. At this rate, she may be able to prevail and eradicate all thoughts on war.

The loyal members of the council could hardly be moved though. Their loyalty to prince Jarvan was an utter pain. They basically worship the guy and all they talk about is him and his needs and wants. She'll have to take her chances and capture the hearts of the other members instead.

Lux shook away all the thoughts that currently plagued her as she traveled down the hall and quickly headed into a room to the right. The lady of luminosity watched as the fox toyed around with an ornament, playfully tossing it side to side. Sona came by and wrote that it belonged on the Christmas tree and had to demonstrate it for her. The animal eyed the musician and the ornament before trying to attach the orb to her dress and then to her hair. Lux couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you teaching her?" Lux was stilling laughing.

"Well well, you finally showed up. We've been waiting for you to start you know!" Sona wrote.

Lux merely shrugged. She grabbed an ornament and began to place it onto the tree. The musician did the same and the fox managed to figure out what she had to do as well.

"Hey Sona, I already have a gown for you and the fox ready. You're going to look absolutely stunning at the Demacian ball that is coming up," Lux said. When Sona didn't reply back, she continued, "I bet Vladimir will love the look too."

The musician dropped an ornament, her face quickly glowing red as she tried to gather the broken shards. Sona had never been world class at a romantic relationship with a male, so her reactions were always priceless. Lux was determined to spark love within her best friend's heart and make Sonamir reign supreme. She could see their wedding already.

"Lux, I thought I had told you to stop that. Besides, my priorities lay with the well-being of the fox," Sona wrote.

"I'm sure the fox will love the idea of Sonamir. She can nuzzle up next to you guys as well while you guys are cuddling together. It'll be so cute," she laughed, "either way, you must attend the ball. I'll be lonely without you."

"Yeah yeah, I'll be there," Sona wrote back, "besides, I have to show up. I will be playing music there."

"I thought you hated being on stage in public?" Lux said.

"I'll be behind a curtain, so no one will notice my existence, so I'll be fine," Sona jotted down.

"Oh… is that so? Well don't waste your time here. You have to practice, go play us some Christmas carols," Lux suggested.

Sona nodded and made her way to the piano and began to play carol of the bells. As Lux expected, the fox seemed to enjoy the song. The animal's head bobbled back and forth to the beat of the music as she placed the ornaments upon the tree. Sona had a habit of zoning out in her pieces she plays, so this was a great opportunity for her. The princess quickly hid behind the tree and kept Ahri still. A minute passed before Vladimir entered the room. Luckily she had invited him, and he was right on time too. Her plan was set.

The crimson reaper strolled behind Sona as she played away and watched her intently. When she finished playing, he began to clap.

"Your music is impeccable as always," Vladimir said.

Sona jolted as she turned around, her face red. Lux saw she was looking around to where they were at. Her plan shall not falter. December is a legendary month where miracles are born, and it is all thanks to a wonderful creation called mistletoe.

"Oh, don't worry, no one else was around. No need to feel embarrassed," he said, "oh, also, I am managing to make progress with a sol-" Lux wouldn't let them talk about business. She extended her hand slightly and used some of her magic to bring down a string that held mistletoe on the top. The dangling creation sent Sona madly blushing. Vladimir appeared to not have noticed just yet. Everything so far was going according to plan except for the fact that she hadn't calculated that the fox would find the item appealing.

The animal escaped her grasp and lunged forward and poked at the mistletoe as if she were a cat stalking its prey, stopping Sonamir from prevailing. Lux reappeared from the Christmas tree with a sigh. Sona instantly snapped her head at her and she couldn't tell whether she was red with fury or still red from blushing. Sadly, Vladimir merely stood there dumbfounded the entire time.

"Uncalled for," Sona bitterly wrote.

Before Lux could even protest, a knight had called for her. Apparently Jarvan had summoned her to his quarters. She figured this time would come soon enough. The prince probably couldn't accept the fact she was dominating within the council and was going to force her out of it so he can proceed with his plans. No matter, all she had to do was be defiant enough and all should end well for her.

Lux skipped and strolled through the curators of the keep until she made it just outside Jarvan's room. She gently opened the door and entered the chambers. The prince was gazing outside the window and hadn't bothered to turn around at all to acknowledge her presence. She made her way to one of the chairs and sat down and sighed. Being with her friends would have been drastically more entertaining right now.

"This is about the meetings, isn't it," Lux said.

"I want you out of the council," Jarvan spoke

Lux expected as much from him. She immediately began to protest. "And your wish isn't to be commanded… your royal highness. Unless you can get a vast majority to boot me out, or persuade her father otherwise, my position in your dad's council is secured."

"What is it that you want? Money? Land? Power? Name your price," Jarvan said. Lux could sense a tinge of desperation resound in his voice.

"What I want is the safety of Noxus. Nothing else will bribe me from the council," was all Lux said.

There was a brief moment of silence where no one spoke. Had he finally given up? All the prince could really do was remain staring out the window and into the blizzard. Really if the prince decided to get rid of her a week ago then the task would be quite simple, however, now she had the council thinking and second guessing themselves. Some of them even went to her side now, and the number of loyal servants to the prince was not enough to get rid of her.

Jarvan sighed as he fled away from the window. Victory secured perhaps? The prince made his way to leave, but before he did, he stopped just where she sat and learned in close.

"I'll advise you to leave as soon as possible. I have ways to hurt you beyond your comprehension," he said.

Lux could hear the door shutting behind her. She wasn't afraid of his threats. He's made dozens of them in her lifetime, but never gone through with any of them. However, it wasn't like him to seem so desperate about a topic before. Perhaps he knows something about Noxus and isn't telling any about it. If so, then why? This reminded her of a time similar, long long ago, except Jarvan kept his terrible word then.

* * *

 _It's been a year since she had found snowflake, and she just couldn't let him go. In the end Lux took the cute puffball and moved it to her secret base. No one dared enter the back of the seemingly endless Library, nor did anyone expect a secret passage there either. The only one who knows about this pathway is Sona, who discovered it in the first place when she was reading the boundless books available._

 _Lux held out her hand that held tidbits of food for snowflake to nibble on. He gobbled it up happily enough._

 _"I'm still surprised you kept that pet for a year now. People will start worrying about where you keep disappearing to as well, especially now that you show up so often," an enchanted ring said._

 _"You worry too much Zhonyas's. Seriously, I get this lecture enough from Sona," Lux pouted._

 _"It's for your own safety. Besides, this critter has grown drastically within a year. It was basically a pebble when you first brought him, now he was practically the size of a small chair. Honestly, by another year it'll be hard to contain him," Zhonya's ring said._

 _"We'll worry about it when it happens," Lux casually replied._

 _In the distance Lux could hear the echoing of footsteps. A minute later and a girl in a blue dress appeared. Sona often came to the secret lair after music practice. No one wonders where she goes either as they all presume she is reading a book, so she is basically able to freely enter without a single worry. Her friend laid down her tiny harp and placed it next to Zhonya on the wooden table._

 _"Glad you came. I want you to read this masterpiece I wrote during my classes today. It's a love story about a girl named Sona who meets her dashing prince… Jarvan," she waited for Sona's face to get red before continuing, "Oh Jarvan~ my sweet prince, you saved me my hero. I must award thee with a true loves kiss~"_

 _"Sona is a mute who could never say that or would ever say that and the mute would unleash her fury to make your pretty little princess feet dance forever," Sona jotted down, still as red as a tomato._

 _"Oh my prince~ my love for thee has broken the curse that made thy unable to speak," Lux laughed._

 _She decided to stop before Sona made her dance for an eternity. In her defense though, if her classes weren't so downright boring, then maybe she'll have more motivation to learn. This is where her secret base came in handy as she was able to hide and skip her class. The only fun subject was the one her grandmother taught. She was to be trained to become adept at harnessing her magical powers, which made for some fun incantations or spells to cast._

 _"You really need to go back to class Lux," the maiden in blue wrote, "I overhear the other maids and your teachers often. Their talks are always about your disappearances. I heard that Jarvan grows suspicious about your whereabouts too."_

 _"Seriously, don't blame me classes are insanely boring and are just mindless lectures. However, I'll go back, but I won't promise not skipping again," Lux said._

* * *

 _A year had passed away and Lux found herself in the secret base even more frequently within recent months. Snowflake had grown tremendously during the time period as well. Within a year he was the size of a table now. The poor creature had hardly any room to move about now as well. The amount of food he needed was enormous too. She found it quite difficult to sneak him food every day._

 _Sona was late coming as well. Normally she wouldn't have cared, but today was her turn to get the food for the puffball. It wasn't like her to be late either. Perhaps her music instructor had held her back?_

 _"There have been whispers pouring at night. They grow suspicious about your disappearances you know. You should really return the creature where it belongs before it's too late and leave this place for good," Zhonya's ring said from the little table it laid upon._

 _Lux didn't get a chance to argue back as she could hear footsteps echoing down the passageway that lead to the exit. A moment passed and instead of seeing her friend draped in blue, she saw the face of the prince. He looked back and forth between Lux and Snowflake._

 _"How did you find this place?" Lux asked. Jarvan eyed over to her and examined her before answering._

 _"It's not hard trailing a little girl and seeing where she wanders too. Don't worry, Sona isn't harmed," he said while eyeing the puffball, "care to explain what this… thing is?"_

 _"Its name is Snowflake," Lux said._

 _Jarvan made his way further into the room, and she could see his Javalin by his side. She quickly became worried and fearful now. Lux eyed Zhonya's at the table and hoped she'll do something, but the ring remained motionless and inanimate._

 _"What have I told you about bringing such beasts into the palace? If our alliances found out something dangerous was kept here, and it was to escape, it'll lead to a very difficult standing for Demacia. Couldn't you just be happy with a puppy?" Jarvan muttered._

 _"I've had him for two years, he means no harm. Let him be," Lux pleaded._

 _"Enough of this! I will have no more. Snowflakes disappear as fast as they come," the Javalin raised and a squeal erupted, and Lux could only see tears in her eyes._

* * *

Vladimir had busied himself recently with the search to find any clues as to what may be the cause behind the fox's curse, but his research managed to bare no fruit. He even sought some of the greatest minds in Zaun to aid his cause; however, the samples he gave weren't enough to produce results. The magician behind this all had covered up any tracks that could be traced back to the mage.

The reaper leaned next to the wall and shook away the plethora of thoughts racing through his mind. He began to let the joyous Christmas music fill his mind. Aside from Lux's scheme, the day wasn't so bad. Who knew watching a fox see Christmas ornaments for the first time could be so interesting. Watching her topple the tree down on several occasions made him laugh as well.

Vladimir strolled over to where Sona sat and decided to sit next to her on the cushioned bench. She seemed too indulged in her music to bother noticing his existence.

"Hey Sona, why is it that you enjoy playing music? What made it stand out to you?" Vladimir decided to ask, as he was trying to make small talk and curious as well.

Sona seemed to be too consumed in her music as she hardly paid much attention to him. Oh well, he wasn't good with conversations anyways. He didn't think much into the matter and just continued listening to the melody.

Vladimir couldn't help but think about what one of Zaun's poisonists, Singed, had told him. The magic was impossible to trace back my most means, and there were traces of very dark magic embedded into her bloodstream. The animal is in constant danger due to the magic and her life is on the line if it were to continue repopulating itself into her blood system. He currently had Singed working on a potion that could perhaps cure the animal.

The reaper noticed the music slowly dying down to that of a whisper until it stopped completely, and he felt a soft object on his shoulder. He looked over to see that Sona had fallen asleep. Her sleeping face looked so peaceful and carefree; not to mention adorable. Luckily Lux had left or else this would have been a nightmare.

Vladimir slowly got up and gently rested the musician's head upon the cushioned bench. He took off his red coat and placed it over her as well.

During all this, the fox had successfully managed to topple the tree again in her conquest to understand the meaning of Christmas. He walked over and helped her pick the tree up. Apparently the animal had been desperately trying to place the star at the top. The reaper decided to go pick her up and lift her to the top. The fox happily placed the star at the top to complete the tree.

* * *

Author's Note: Didn't think this chapter would take so long to come out, but oh well. Here is the next part of the winter story! Please tell me what you think and if you enjoyed reading! Thanks for stopping by!


	9. Sit and Smile goes the Princess

_Sit and smile goes the princess. An idol for the people dedicated to giving false joy and hope and put her subjects into a more relaxed state Lux had quickly realized what this meant. When she tried to do something of her own mind and will, she often found Jarvan stopping her in her tracks. Women held no power in politics and it's been like that for centuries. The lady of light often tried to learn the system and manipulate it to allow her reign victorious, but she could never conquer the terrible game._

 _Even as a little kid she had quickly grown to hate the people around her. Money swayed their political views and dictated the course of action. The ones with more prestige were able to dominate the views of the lower class, even when a vast amount disagreed with it. Corruption had infiltrated the kingdom and tainted its members with the plague called greed. The once mighty nation that stood for the people, justice, and equality was nothing more than a web of lies spun by the corrupt to keep the peace intact._

 _Still, Lux had always liked the idea to fight back such evil and restore the meaning of the name Demacia again. To help and save became her passions to continue on as all she wanted was to free her people from the cages the noble set up. However, her struggles were met with despair as Jarvan had tossed the keys ages ago, dooming her people to never spread their wings again. She was reminded of this fact when her dear snowflake was beheaded before her and she was subjected to punishment._

 _Broken and in despair, she had only the lingering words she once was told long ago. Sit and smile. A false charade to make the people feel at ease and signal nothing was wrong, even though deep down her world had shattered. It was like she was falling into a dark abyss that had engulfed her entire being._

 _All Lux could do was remain seated and silent, gazing off at the crowd enjoying the ball. The princess was expected to mingle around with the folk, perhaps able to win over some prince of another nation so she could be shipped off when she grew of age and increase the influence of her own province. However, she was too depressed to even do that. Jarvan ended up just letting her sit this one out as a miserably princess isn't attracting anyone._

 _The princess found herself gazing off towards Sona, who sat quietly but happily playing her music. The king and queen found such a gifted orphan when they attended one of her performances that they immediately paid a large sum to obtain her. After being auctioned off, the queen of music was subjected to hours a day with little breaks. The girl was an accurate representation of the greed that ran in the kingdom as the gold she brings in made her all the more desirable to the nobles around her._

 _Yet she continued playing with such a happy smile that shone brightly when she touched the keys of the piano. The piece was beautiful and normally would have made her happy, but not even the melody could help her. The lady of luminosity's light had dimmed down with each passing day. A month had ticked away and the prince had managed to win as depression consumed her and her mischievous nature was replaced by sadness and despair._

 _"I need some fresh air. I'll be back soon," Lux finally murmured. Jarvan paid her no mind as she got up to leave. She just couldn't bare to stay in a room with people she hated any longer._

 _Lux made her way through the halls of the castle and entered the library. The librarians hadn't paid her much thought either as she traversed down the columns of books and into her secret hideout. The princess opened the passage and walked in until she made it to the main room. She looked at the wooden table the enchanted ring laid upon the last time she saw it. Zhonya's hadn't spoken once since that day had happened._

 _Thirty minutes had flown from her grasp and Lux had found herself sitting down next to the ring and gazing into absolute nothing. All she wanted was the happiness of others. She had tried to help Sona, wanting her to prosper as well as her people, yet why is it her kindness was for naught?_

 _A fist flew at her, knocking her out of the seat. The pain quickly throbbed at her cheeks where she was struck. Lux quickly looked up at the attacker and saw a furious looking Sona staring down at her._

 _"Did I do something to anger you?" Lux asked._

 _Sona took out a slip of paper and jotted something before tossing it to the ground. Lux picked it up as she got up and read, "You've been acting gloomy ever since that day, so I thought you needed something to wake you up."_

 _"I tried my best to be me, but the real me isn't acceptable anymore. Jarvan is the ruler of me, and me his servant to fulfil his desires," Lux murmured. For the second time today, Sona had punched her across the face._

 _"So you're just going to let him win? Why sit in torment without a fight?" Sona wrote._

 _"Why do you bother to care? As long as you please the king, queen, and prince, then your life will be peaceful. My happiness doesn't affect you in the slightest, so you can stop trying," Lux said._

 _Lux had expected another punch, or Sona leaving her to wallow in despair, but neither had come. Instead, the musician had reached out with her small frail arms and wrapped them around her and pulled her into an embrace. The princess's eyes quickly blurred and the tears came soon after._

 _A moment passed before Sona pulled away and reached into the small yellow bag she had brought with her. In one hand she held a little plank that had the word "snowflake" and placed it onto the ground next to the wall. In the other was a banquette of flowers that she laid down next to it._

 _"Jarvan forbids the mention of this apparent creature's name, nor would he allow a proper funeral. However, we can still hold a funeral of our own. Let us mourn and mark this day as our fight for our freedom against the man who holds us here," Sona wrote._

* * *

Lux yawned. The ball was quite boring and Sona was going to be busy the entirety of it. The fox for the most part wanted to spend the time hiding behind the curtains of the big stage with the musician as well. Vladimir never showed up either, so she was left all alone and stuck dancing with each noble who asked her too.

In the end, the princess decided to sneak her way over to the big stage, avoiding any who made their way over to her, and slipped through the curtains. Inside, she found Sona playing the Christmas carols. Her friend looked absolutely stunning in the scarlet and gold dress she had gotten her. As for the fox, she was hiding underneath the piano. Lux made her way over and peaked down, the fox's big wide eyes meeting hers.

"Whatcha doing down there?" Lux asked.

"Out… there… mating… festival… scared," the animal manage to say.

"No mate. Only safe," Lux said in response.

"No no… people… smoosh face… on face…," the fox spurred, "me no want face smoosh."

Face smoosh? Is she talking about kissing? Lux didn't put too much thought into it as she held out her hand and took the fox's hand and yanked her out from underneath the instrument. Sona was too indulged in her music to notice as she dragged the animal from beneath the curtain and into the main room of the ball. The being quickly dropped to the ground and began to cover her body with her nine fluffy tails.

"See, there is no harm to be done. No one will do anything to you, not on my watch," Lux said.

The animal gave her no response, so she quickly yanked her back up. "Do you know what dancing is?"

"Dan..cing?" the fox said curiously.

"Let me show you how much fun a ball can be," the princess said.

Lux grabbed the animal's hand and the two began to dance across the ballroom and to be real here, they were quite awful at it. The fox stumbled into just about anything and almost flung them into a food table. I mean the food was cheap anyways, but she'd rather not have to clean the mess up. The nobles were constantly in panic too. Most had to flee and cower to safety to avoid being ran over. They were like giant unstoppable machines while dancing.

What annoyed her however was the fact that the people around them kept their distance and gave the animal such sneer looks. Really, must they be so hateful to such bad dancers? Pretty hard to be skilled at dancing when you just recently got legs this year. Still, the fox's wide smile was worth the looks they were getting. She just looked so happy out here. Hopefully she had her mind off of this face smooshing thing as well.

The music began to slow down and quickly came to a stop. Sona must finally be on her short break now. The fox's ears began to perk up when she noticed the silence as well and quickly eyed the curtain.

"Sona should be on her break, so you should head over and spend some time with her while you can," Lux said, patting the fox's head. She happily nodded and wagged her tail as she skipped over.

Lux used this opportunity to make her escape out of the ballroom. The main event would be later anyways, so her disappearance shouldn't be noticed. Besides, she had other things to do, which is why she made her way over to the library. The librarians gave her a nod as she entered the factuality and watched as she disappeared into the rows of books. The princess made it to the back before slipping through the passage and into the room.

Lux looked over at the table where the ring laid and once again this year it wouldn't speak to her. She didn't know why, but ever since Jarvan came that day, Zhonya's wouldn't utter a single word to her. Ignoring her warnings was something she shouldn't have done, but was it worth it to ignore her several years after the fact?

The princess didn't pay it much thought as she sat down next to the plank and closed her eyes. The solitude was nice every once in a while, especially after a noisy fiesta. She was exhausted too and her feet were killing her as well, so the silence was a bliss to her really.

Every year she found herself at the same spot. This year was slightly different however as she proved to do what she set out to do, which was to change the political system and cleanse the corruption. She felt pretty proud of herself for managing to accomplish so much in such little time too.

Footsteps echoed down the passageway and moments passed before Lux opened her eyes to see Sona waltzing into the room. The musician made her way over to her and sat down next to her looking exhausted. Playing for hours must seem like a nightmare. How has her hands not fallen off already?

"I see you look exhausted. Hours of playing sure takes a toll on people, especially those hands. Seriously, my hands would be basically dead after that long of playing," Lux said.

Sona nodded, not even bothering to write it out. "Hey, I just realized, what happened to the fox?" Lux asked.

Sona took out her paper and slowly wrote, "Vladimir eventually managed to show up, and she really wanted to dance, so she is with the reaper. I'm just too exhausted to dance with her now."

Lux nodded. The silence filled the room again until she could hear her friend's pen press against the notepad again. A moment passed before she held up the paper, "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Lux said.

Sona quickly began to write before handing her the paper. Lux took it and read slowly, "Sit and smile goes the princess, but what happens when the princess isn't smiling?"

Lux didn't have a chance to understand what she meant as a dagger slowly slid into her back. Her eyes widened as blood poured out. The princess's vision began to fade from her and her head began to spin. The last thing she saw was the smiling face of her dear friend before the darkness consumed her.

* * *

Author's Note: How do you guys like it? Think it is all developing nicely? Let me know what you all think and if you are enjoying! Thanks for reading!


	10. The Light That Fades

Vladimir sat down upon the small wooden chair in the room with his legs crossed as he waited. The area he was currently in was filled with dozens of glass bottles containing all kinds of potions ranging from ones that could let you discover love, to kinds that gave you unimaginable deaths such as incurable diseases. The aroma coming from all these chemicals were absolutely enchanting nonetheless, and he had to put all of his strength into not drinking any of it.

The crimson reaper continued to wait for almost fifteen minutes now for the chemist to come. Apparently there was a final touch that needed to be added to his order for its completion. He didn't mind though because he was in no real rush. Besides, the completion of the piece took priority since it could prove ineffective and lethal, and a dead fox meant the inevitable fury of Sona.

His mind began to trail away, thinking about the ball. He decided to miss it to obtain the item he needed. Still, he would have loved to hear Sona's melodic songs resonating throughout the room as well as the fox hiding about, fearing the vast crowd waltzing to the sound of music. Knowing Lux, she probably dragged the animal out against her will only to frighten her further.

After what felt like an eternity, a man in ragged attire stepped out of the backdoor of the facility with a strange sort of chemical in hand.

"It is complete," Singed began to spin the potion in his hand, the liquid contents splashing about.

Vladimir got up from his seat and took it from his hand. He examined it thoroughly and sniffed it, checking for poison. It appeared to be safe, but knowing the chemist, all sorts of devious mayhem could be unleashed once used. For example, this could merely be a love potion or one to turn the animal from a fox to frog. It wouldn't be the first time he had done so at least.

"I presume you are heading straight to Demacia?" Singed inquired.

Vladimir nodded. The ball was three days ago, so the nobles should have left. He was promised entry from Luxanne the moment the rich citizens were all gone, and he needed to get to the fox as soon as possible. Her bloodstream was tainted by the foul magic that is forcing her genetics to mutate. If this were to continue any longer, then by the next six months her veins would burst and explode from the pressure, and only the cold feeling of death would remain at the animal's side.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder why? The culprit who committed the crime must surely know the fatal catastrophes her body is undergoing, so why change the fox to a human if she were to merely die upon the sorcery cast upon her? No matter how much he tried to imagine it, he just couldn't see any benefit to be had from this deed.

"I would advise waiting a little longer before making your way to the kingdom," Singed warned, "I have heard some strange rumors floating about."

"Rumors?" Vladimir raised a curious brow, "what short of rumors?"

Singed strolled across the room, poking at the potions on display before responding, "The death of Luxanne Crownguard, princess of Demacia."

* * *

Sona awoke to the icy breeze that swept by, nipping at her cheeks. Her hands were bound by metallic chains that bound her tightly to the wall. No light shone down in the dark depths of the dungeon she remained in, allowing total blackness to engulf her whole. A dreary feeling filled her soul as she heard the other prisoners howling in agony as if sapping the very joy from the place itself. This must be where all the worst criminals are sent to slowly rot in these dark depths, she thought.

Beside her a bucket of water remained, and the musician found herself gazing off into her own pitiful reflection. The blue dress she was adjourned in was removed and replaced by brown rags, and her dirtied aquatic colored hair no longer stood up in its pigtails, and instead fell flat down to her shoulders. Her eyes that were once brimming with life vacantly stared at her pathetic sight as she remembered the night of the ball.

The event was immediately stopped when someone had come rushing in announcing to the attendants that an infiltrator had already killed three guards who stood on standby outside the kingdom. After hearing the disastrous news, Sona rushed on over to the hideout the princess often found herself in.

Instead of seeing her friend's familiar beaming smile, she saw Lux kneeling upon the ground, blood gushing from her wound. The musician saw her bright blue eyes dim as they gazed off into the empty distance and then to her, and for a moment she saw a tinge of sorrow in her vacant eyes before toppling to the ground. Tears slowly formed in Sona's eyes, but none would fall down on that haunting night as a blunt weapon knocked her out from behind.

Footsteps resonated throughout the eerie halls of the kingdom, sending the prisoners into a maddening frenzy, the clanking of armor could clearly be heard with each pressing step. Moments later a glow could be seen emitting from a torch, illuminating the nightmarish darkness that plagued the dungeon and revealed a muscular man with brown hair clad in gold and navy armor, the color of Demacia.

Garen stopped just outside her prison cell and peered through with his gloomy dark eyes. He solemnly placed the torch on the placeholder before opening the cell and freeing her from the chains that bound her while placing a notebook and pen in her hands.

"You have been arrested under the attempted murder of…" he choked at the sound of his sister's name, "Luxanne Crownguard."

"I do not care about your false accusations. Is Lux alive and well?" she wrote.

"The healers have only allowed Jarvan and the king entry to see her. All else who wish to enter must wait for results," Garen spoke softly, "I want to find myself able to believe in you as my sister had always done…"

Sona closed her mind and let her thoughts consume her. A theory had blossomed deep down and with each passing moment she believed it to be true. The princess began to win the hearts of the very loyal councilmen of the prince and most likely sought to eradicate Luxanne so his own selfish desires could bear fruit once more. Did he bear enough hatred for Noxus that he was willing to that extreme extent?

The musician could see the looming gloom gleaming in the soldiers eyes. She reached out from within the darkness and gently touched his warm face, trying to reassure him. The soft touch only startled him as he bounced away. He took the notepad away from her as he began to chain her back to the stone wall.

"I came here to let you know that your trial begins a week from now," was all he could muster out as he made his leave.

Sona watched as the man left the icy dungeons, leaving her all alone now. The only warmth left was nothing more than the torch he had left behind, which would soon succumb to the rigid cold that surrounded the prison. There had been a dozen questions blooming in her mind, yet they would never sprout into answers, at least not now.

An hour had passed, and all was still. Not a single thing dared move or utter a word, as if breaking the silence would bring upon their inevitable deaths. Quickly within the night, two men had found their way to the prison, each carrying two large axes at their side. It only took a matter of seconds for the musician to realize what was happening, and the thought horrified her. Her trial had ended the moment Garen left, and only her execution came next.

Within this maddening darkness however, tiny blue eyes blinked, and for a moment Sona froze up in terror as the eyes held its gaze strictly upon her. It reminded her of the eyes that she dreaded to see, the judgmental eyes of the people above, but these somehow felt soothing and reassuring.

The creature began scurrying down the hall, and then the pace picked itself up to a run. A second later a figure appeared behind the two executioners and knocked them out with a large stone rock. A figure shone through the light provided from the flames of the torch, and what she saw shocked her. She saw the little fox wagging her tails as she gazed through the bars, trying desperately to squeeze herself through the tiny openings of the cell.

Sona wanted to tell her to get far away from here, to hide away from the sights of the royal guards, but no words could ever form from a mute. However, another part of her yearned for the fox's soft touch as she snuggled up upon her fuzzy tail, to forget the pain of the recent events. The musician tried to break through the chains that bound her, to reach out and grasp the hand of the animal. The fox in response tried reaching through the cell bars so their hands could meet, but their fingers never did intertwine.

"Sad fox," the animal said.

Her vision began to blur as water filled her eyes. Tears she held back from the night of the ball finally strolled down her frozen cheeks, the warm tears dripping down as it splattered across the stone pavement. She desperately yearned to go back to their home with the fox again, to feel her soft touch.

The animal stuck her bushy tail through the gate of the cell and wiped away the tears while wrapping the tail around her face, as if nuzzling up next to her. The musician leaned her head on the soft object and allowed the silence to engulf her, letting the sweet nothingness consume her mind. Then, through the brink of that abyss, all kinds of thoughts filled her. The biggest question looming in her mind being just what had happened to the fox while Sona was locked away here? There was no apparent damage shown on her body, but she couldn't help but wonder.

In the distance footsteps filled the hall and the fox immediately snapped back her tail. The musician watched as tears began to trickle down from the animal's big aquatic face as she hurriedly dashed away from the sights of the oncoming guards. The Demacian knights immediately began to rush over to their fallen comrades on the ground, and accusations and curses were sent her way. However, no sound filled her ears nor the sight of the guards crossed her eyes, only the running of the fox was all she could see.

* * *

Author's Note: I tried to portray a sorrowful scene, but don't know how well I executed it. Nonetheless, I do hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and sorry for the very long update! Hope you enjoy and please tell me what all you liked and disliked.


End file.
